johnee78

iTrader: (4)

I would like to take a poll on how important it is for you to have a well balanced set of wheels??If you pay $6-$8 per wheel for a normal balancing would you be willing to pay $10-14 per wheel to have your wheels balanced and also have the wheel weights hidden?? When I mean hidden I mean mounted on the spoke of the wheel instead of on the inside dish of the wheel..Please don't ask me how this is done because I am not aware of all the facts, but I do know that the wheel weights are not seen and this machine gives a more accurate balance..I am curious to see the response of members and their feedback..

rominl

iTrader: (4)

nop, putting it on the inside lip is already hidden enough for me

Lexusfreak

The "hidden" weights should be the same price as the weights on the "lip" of the rim. There should be NO extra charge for the different weights you are describing (if there is, find another tire shop to install them). They also have an adhisive so they stick as opposed to being hammered on the lip of the rim. It's simply a different method of balancing so not to "cheapen" the appearance of nice rims.

johnee78

iTrader: (4)

This particular machine actually has an arm that exactly places the wheel weight were it is needed as opposed to a certain area of the inner wheel..You would be paying extra for what the machine does, when a certain machine cost more the service it provides tends to go up also..Hope this clears things up..

blueGS400

how important is brushing your teeth,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,just my thoughts on the question

mmarshall

I don't want to sound like a nanny here, but this is important........

Just balancing the wheels is only one small part in actually getting a shimmy-free ride.
First, the shop has to have a high-quality machine....there are several good ones available, both on-car and off-car balancing....and on-car balancing is not recommended for some drive trains. Second, the guys in the shop have to know how to properly use it. A lot of shops have young kids that just slap things around and don't really know what they're doing. Third, the machine has to be calibrated regularly...you would be surprised how many shops BS you and tell you they do it when they don't. Fourth, the tire and wheel assemblies have to be prefectly round (by perfect I mean within .0030" tolerance). When the tire is put on the machine and spins , WATCH it to see if there is any noticible up-and-down motion (tire hop) or side-to-side wobble (lateral runout). If there is, you are still likely to get a shimmy no matter HOW well they balance it. Sometimes, if a tire is out-of-round, doing a "90" or a "180" ....turning it around on the wheel one quarter or one-half turn and remounting it.....will smooth things out, usually more with steel wheels than alloy ones. it is rare for a new or accident-free alloy wheel to be out-of-round, but not so for tires....I have seen MANY of them that rolled like eggs. If the shop will not allow you in the work area or allow you to watch the tire as it spins, take your buisness elsewhere. NTB (National Tire and Battery), in my experience, is very good about this...they allow you to watch and supervise the whole thing....but they don't always have the best workers.
Fifth, the machine has to be set to its most accurate and precise range.....grams, not ounces.
And, when it's time to put the put the wheels back on the car, have them USE A TORQUE WRENCH to whatever specs your particular wheels and lug nuts need...you can usually find that spec in the Owners' Manual. it doesn't do any good for them to do a perfect balance job and then have them f *** up the brake rotors and warp them by overtorquing them with the air wrench.

Good Luck.

mmarshall

I guess I didn't really answer your original question....about spoke-mounted weights. My opinion is that it is more important to get the shimmy and vibrations out, period, than it is to try for cosmetic improvements. However, IF you can get a smooth ride to your satisfaction with the spoke-mounted weights, then fine.....you've killed two birds with one stone.
Again, good luck.

lexusk8

Since I just got new wheels installed a while ago, I had to get the wheels balanced by default (and also to eliminate the subtle vibration when driving @ 40 mph). I paid $11 per wheel for the balancing (including hidden wheel weights) at a local tire shop I trust for the last few years. I notice a big difference in driving as it is now more smooth and stable, even on the bumpiest of roads

Wheel balancing is certainly a must when installing new/old wheels.

lexusondubs

iTrader: (9)

johnee if this machine give a better balance i would do it . I never had a problem hiding the weights cause they just stick on in the inside of the wheel

Stage3

iTrader: (3)

I cant even put into words how important a good balancing job is....

Lexis11

Yup I absolutley hate vibrating wheels and this is probaly bue to having cheap wheels for a couple years and they bend then they are out of balance but that is not the case anymore. Balancing is one of the most important parts of the vehicle.

Smoothride

Ummm...extremely important?? I would rather have a well balanced wheel vs. seeing a weight or two on the inside, but the best would be both.

Anyway, for the best balanced wheel, google HUNTER balancing and alignment machines, once on the site, search for a shop with a 9700 roadforce balance machine, it matches the tire to the wheel (hi and low spots) for the best balance.

braheem

iTrader: (4)

I would pay over $500.00 to have the best vibration free balance possible. People spend it on $7000 HREs and $1500 tires a good balance is well worth every penny.

BTW, I've had my tires balanced 3 times in the past 4 months and still think it can be improved.

Leejack

Let's see...

Price of car - $40K-$60K
Set of chrome dubs - $1500-$8000
Set of Nitto's, Pirelli's, etc.... - $1000-$1800
Wheel weights - $25 (and this is probably on the high side)

For me this is a no-brainer. That said, I don't think you should pay extra for them to be placed. Any reptutable wheel shop will balance each wheel on the inside for no extra charge

BLK13X

you're a freak

balancing is important, usually whenever I change my tyres is when I get it done though (and they throw it in for free where I get my tyres from).

Jose